Eleven students went to an entrepreneurship challenge where students were given real problems by start-up entrepreneurs at Johnson County Community College on Feb. 17, and several came back as challenge winners.

Students heard challenges pitched by local entrepreneurs. In three-plus hours, students worked in groups to determine a solution to those challenges and then created projects to overcome those challenges.

This event was hosted by Meca Challenge, a division of the Center of Entrepreneurial Ecosystem Development, which leads experiential learning sessions like this one throughout the Kansas City area.

Out of 20 student groups, four groups won. Students from different schools were combined into the four groups. Three of the four groups had an Olathe South student on the team. Those students were Elisa Garnelo, senior, Ryan Hovey, junior, Ebenezer Getahun, sophomore.

Dakota Flory, senior, found it ”fun. Working in groups was the best part because you get to meet new people. It made solving problems entertaining.” Flory would do it again “in a heartbeat” if the opportunity came back.

About 200 people attended the event. Students across the metro area came to this challenge. This is the challenge’s first year, and Meca Challenge haas been doing it every month at different colleges.

Elisa Garnelo, senior, “enjoyed being able to talk to actual entrepreneurs.” She discovered it to be “super fun and enjoyed meeting new people.” If the chance to go back ever came, “yes, I would” is her answer.

It was a “business competition where students worked on real-world solutions that entrepreneurs themselves wouldn’t think of,” Rebecca Reyes, entrepreneurship teacher, said. She also said, “It was fun, it was pretty organized, and JCCC did a good job.”

Reyes thinks “it’s a great experience for the kids. It’s very authentic on what they are going to see in the real world,” and she would definitely go again.

Madysson Wood, senior, thought “it was challenging,” and she really liked that.